Question:
Assalamualaikum, is there a hadith which mentions the manners of giving salam?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam.
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
According to the above question, there is a sahih hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahih:
- From Abi Hurairah RA, he said:
يُسَلِّمُ الرَّاكِبُ عَلَى المَاشِي، وَالمَاشِي عَلَى القَاعِدِ، وَالقَلِيلُ عَلَى الكَثِيرِ
"The riding one should greet the walking one, and the walking one should greet the sitting one, and the small number of persons should greet the large number of persons."
Sahih al-Bukhari (6232)(6233) and Sahih Muslim (2160)
This hadith shows the wisdom of who should start the salam. The reason is giving salam is a commandment in Islam and it will strengthen the bond, love and care among Muslims.
The Commandment of Spreading Salam
Among the hadiths of the Prophet PBUH which narrate the benefits of salam and the commandment to spread it:
- From Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Ash, he said:
أنَّ رجلًا سأَل النبيَّ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم : أيُّ الإسلامِ خيرٌ ؟ قال : تُطعِمُ الطعامَ، وتَقرَأُ السلامَ، على مَن عرَفتَ، وعلى مَن لم تَعرِفْ
A man asked the Prophet, "What Islamic traits are the best?" The Prophet said, "Feed the people, and greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know."
Sahih al-Bukhari (11)(27)(5767) and Sahih Muslim (56)
Fiqh in Answering Salam
The following are manners when giving salam. You should know that starting or offering salam is sunnah and answering it is wajib. If a Muslim is in a group then it is sunnah kifayah on their rights when only some of them has given salam and the rest of people in the group receive the sunnah reward of the salam. When a Muslim is by himself, then it is fardhu ain on him to offer salam. If they are in a congregation, then answering salam is fardhu kifayah on their rights for if one of them answer it then the rest of the congregation is not considered as sinful. However, it is prioritized for all of them to give and answer the salam. (See al-Minhaj, 140/14)
Conclusion
To conclude, we as the Muslim ummah should maintain this sunnah for it is greatly encouraged in this religion. May Allah SWT grants us the strength in practising the sunnah of the Prophet PBUH and protect us from attributes reviled by Allah SWT and the Prophet PBUH. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.